When Otto Tomotto’s Good Italian Restaurant in Victor throws a birthday party, it’s a huge deal, and pretty much the whole town turns out.

On Monday, May 21, the restaurant will host its 8th annual Mama Tomotto’s Birthday Fundraiser, held in honor of Sue “Mama” Archetko, mother of the restaurant owner and executive chef Tim Archetko. At this party, however, it’s the Victor Farmington Food Cupboard, and not Mama, who will be receiving the gifts.

The annual birthday bash is actually a huge fundraising event for the Food Cupboard. Archetko came up with the idea in 2011 as a way to support those in the Victor community who need a helping hand.

“There’s a lot of people in our community whg need extra help...that actually open up the fridge and say, ‘There’s nothing to eat in here,’” Archetko said. “I thought, how can we give back to our community in a way that fits what we do?”

They decided to do what they do best: serve up delicious Italian dinners for a reasonable price. They made it simple: patrons could put down $5 on the spot and take home a serving of penne pasta with marinara sauce, a meatball, a slice of bread with garlic butter, and a piece of birthday cake.

Archetko and his staff prepared 500 meals that first year. They ended up selling about 700, and “we thought we were the kings of the world,” he said.

The meal and the cost have remained the same through the years. The event’s reputation and the crowds, however, have grown significantly. Last year they sold 2,000 dinners and raised almost $20,000 for the food cupboard.

Otto Tomotto’s Good Italian Restaurant is located at Phoenix Mills Plaza on Route 96 in Victor. It will host the 8th annual Mama Tomotto’s Birthday Fundraiser on Monday, May 21.(Photo11: M. Rosenberry)

The event has grown so big that it takes a team of more than 40 restaurant staff and food cupboard volunteers to pull it off. They start the day by making the meatballs, whipping up Archetko’s famous garlic butter, cutting the bread, and slicing almost 40 sheet cakes. On Monday during the event itself, they man the kitchen, take money, dish out the food, and run additional fund-raising activities.

Customers start arriving a good half-hour before Tim and his volunteers start serving, and before long, the line stretches to the far end of the plaza. But after all these years, the event is run like a well-oiled machine, and no one waits very long for their meal. Mama herself helps the wait feel shorter by walking up and down the line, chatting with the customers.

This year, Archetko has set his sights on raising $25,000. Every penny raised is donated directly to the Victor Farmington Food Cupboard, which uses it to stock their shelves for the more than 500 Ontario County families they serve every month. It’s a gift that has rendered Food Cupboard president Dawn Rockefeller almost speechless.

Tim is "unbelievably generous,” Rockefeller said. “What he does with this event is amazing.”

“The amount of money that Tim brings in... just honestly, it’s hard to put into words. The fact that he and his team donate all of it is just overwhelming. It means so much for what we are able to continue to do for our clients.”

Pick of the Week

The town/village of East Rochester will hold its annual CleanSweep on Saturday, May 19 from 7:30 a.m. to noon.

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Volunteers will gather at the Eyer Building, 295 Main St., between 7:30 and 8:30 a.m. to check in, get a T-shirt, pick up street/area assignments and cleaning supplies, and enjoy a continental breakfast. At the end of the morning, everyone will reconvene at the Eyer Building for free pizza. Participants are asked to pre-register at erchamber.org.

Visit the Our Towns East Extra Facebook page for more eastside news, and email Missy at dandceastextra@gmail.com with news tips and story ideas.

If You Go

Mama Tomotto’s 8th annual Birthday Fundraiser will be held at Otto Tomotto’s Restaurant, Phoenix Mills Plaza, Route 96 in Victor, on Monday, May 21, from 3 to 9 p.m. For a $5 donation, you get a pasta dinner with meatball, bread and butter and a piece of birthday cake. Proceeds benefit the Victor Farmington Food Cupboard.